The Marvel Cinematic Universe has big plans for the future. To keep it all straight, we’ve laid out the next few years’ worth of Marvel Studios films, which will take you through all of the official titles announced for Phase 3 and Phase 4.
Captain Marvel – March 8, 2019
Though originally meant to drop in late 2018, the anticipated Captain Marvel film is now scheduled to be released as the first Marvel Studios film of 2019. The blockbuster will center on Marvel character Carol Danvers in what’s said to be a very earthbound adventure (though her powers are “in the cosmic realm,” having come from the alien race known as the Kree). It’s also been confirmed that the movie will be an origin story for the titular character, will co-star Samuel L. Jackson as a younger Nick Fury (with two eyes!), will be set in the 1990s, and will be the first in the franchise to specifically feature the aliens known as the Skrulls.
Fans got their first tease for Captain Marvel’s arrival in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Avengers: Infinity War, but it won’t be until her solo film that she actually appears in person. The latest trailer recently dropped. Let’s hope that the full movie also finds a way to answer where she’s been all this time, and why she hasn’t been on Earth for all of the chaos that’s been going down. Find the most recent updates on Captain Marvel HERE.
Avengers 4 – May 3, 2019
By May 3, 2019, Marvel fans around the world will be foaming at the mouth. A big part of what made Avengers: Infinity War so breathtaking was its incredible ending, which saw fans witnessing the deaths of many of their favorite heroes. It was a hard thing to watch, but in 2019 we’ll get to see if Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and the Guardians of the Galaxy can get their revenge.
How will the two teams manage to fight a genius alien who has earned the powers of a god? It certainly seems like an impossible task, but stopping the Chitauri Invasion and the rise of Ultron could have been described the same way. We can’t wait to see what directors Joe and Anthony Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely do with this one. Find the most recent updates on the Untitled Avengers: Infinity War Sequel HERE.
Spider-Man: Far From Home – July 5, 2019
It won’t be called Spider-Man 2. It will be called Spider-Man: Far From Home. And it’s expected to reflect something that has to do with Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) Junior year of high school, possibly as he travels to Europe on a summer vacation trip. Marvel President Kevin Feige has confirmed that we will see the ramifications of Avengers 4 through Peter’s eyes. Which, alone, sounds fascinating. And the rumor mill has Jake Gyllenhaal attached to play the villainous role of Mysterio. Beyond that, it’s a mystery, though we expect plenty of details to drop in due time.
On top of that, there are a number of threads that can be picked up by this Spider-Man sequel. Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) knows her nephew’s secret identity. And Peter… well, he died. How will they rebound? We have a release date, and the possible start of Marvel’s Phase 4 (if they call it that). Find the most recent updates on Spider-Man: Far From Home HERE.
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3
The second feature in the proposed Marvel Phase 4 was supposed to be the only other title that has been announced at this point: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. But then all hell broke loose. James Gunn lost the directing gig, thanks to insensitive Tweets that were on his timeline. And the cast – especially the extremely vocal Dave Bautista — supports Gunn, even if it costs them a role in this sequel.
James Gunn has always said that the next sequel in the Guardians franchise will bring an end to the story of THIS version of the Guardians team. That includes Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel). Even though most of them “died” in Infinity War. However, the movie has been delayed, and pre-production has been frozen, as Marvel Studios figures out what to do with this franchise without Gunn at the helm. Does Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 get replaced on the production schedule by Doctor Strange 2 or Black Panther 2? Stay tuned.
Black Widow
Fans spent years calling for Marvel Studios’ first female-led superhero movie, and for the longest time it seemed like a Black Widow solo film would be the perfect solution to the request – what with Scarlett Johansson’s character’s being arguably the most popular heroine in the franchise. That didn’t wind up happening, as both Evangeline Lilly’s Hope van Dyne and Brie Larson’s Carol Danvers broke the glass ceiling respectively with Ant-Man & The Wasp and Captain Marvel – but that doesn’t mean a Black Widow movie isn’t happening. In fact, it’s currently set up to be one of the titles in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four.
For a long time it was hard to tell what information was real and what was spurious in regards to this project, but it’s been confirmed that the project is happening. In July 2018 it was revealed that Cate Shorthand has signed on to direct the feature, her previous work including the period drama Lore and the horror movie Berlin Syndrome. At this time there are no official details about the story that the movie will tell, but we should have a much clearer idea of where things are going soon.
The Eternals
When it comes to the cosmic side of Marvel Comics, the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies have only scratched the surface. Sure, we’ve seen a few Thor and Guardians of the Galaxy movies, but there are millions of beings out in the cosmos that have yet to make their live-action debut. The Eternals is a tremendous step in that direction, as while we’ve already met one member of the titular race – Thanos – there is a whole world created by Jack Kirby that should make for tremendous cinematic exploration.
Chloe Zao was previously in the running to take the helm of the Black Widow movie, and while she didn’t get that job, Marvel Studios decided they wanted her to stick around for The Eternals. The comics tell the story of a race of beings created from proto-humans by god-like aliens known as Celestials, and it’s been said that romance will be at the center of the intergalactic story – specifically the relationship between Ikaris and Sersi.
Doctor Strange 2
As they have since pretty much the beginning, Marvel’s plans moving forward will include mixing things up between sequels and original projects. After all, while the latter allow things to constantly feel fresh and new. the former let us see a lot more of the characters we’ve previously fallen in love with. This most definitely extends to Doctor Strange, as Marvel President Kevin Feige confirmed to CinemaBlend in summer 2018 that a Doctor Strange 2 is currently in development.
Unfortunately, Kevin Feige’s statement also noted that the sequel would arrive “a number of years from the first,” so this is a project we potentially won’t see until the back half of Phase 4. It has not yet been officially announced who will be directing the movie, but the smart money is on Scott Derrickson, who helmed 2016’s Doctor Strange and received both positive praise from critics and saw great box office success.
Black Panther 2
Is anyone in the world even remotely surprised that Black Panther is getting a sequel? Sure, we don’t know exactly when we can expect it, but there was no way that Marvel Studios wasn’t going to take full advantage of what currently stands as its most successful feature release. The first movie did an amazing job establishing the world of Wakanda, eventually seeing it open up to the world, and Black Panther 2 will offer the amazing opportunity to fully explore what the presence of the country means for the entire planet.
Ryan Coogler has not yet officially signed on to take the helm of Black Panther 2, but one can certainly imagine Marvel making him an offer so big that it would be impossible for him to refuse. Given the very real appetite that audiences clearly have for this character and his homeland, it would make all the sense in the world for the MCU to launch the title within the first half of Phase 4.
Phase 4 Release Dates
May 1, 2020
July 31, 2020
November 6, 2020
February 12, 2021
May 7, 2021
November 5, 2021
February 18, 2022
May 6, 2022
July 29, 2022
Iron Man (2008)
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor (2011)
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)
The Avengers (2012)
Iron Man 3 (2013)
Thor: The Dark World (2013)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Doctor Strange (2016)
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Black Panther (2018)
Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Ant-Man And The Wasp (2018)